Part Five: Condemnation

Adriana came back home to her apartment later on that evening. After the mugging she was a little worn out, but inside of her she still had the need to study the book before she would go to bed. She would act casual and enter her apartment like normal, as to not raise any suspicion as she stepped up the stairs on the exterior steep.  As she entered her abode she saw Sabrina sleeping on her brown couch. 

Sabrina was a little sight for sore eyes, with all the horrible people out there, Sabrina's innocence and cuteness always brought a smile to Adriana's face. Adriana would try to creep past her sleeping pet chao as she would enter her bedroom and close the door while smiling in an affectionate manner. She would place her book satchel on the bed and then begin to open it, to find the captive tiny anthro dog gasping for breath and flailing about while trying to call for help in his tiny voice.

"Keep quiet, my Sabrina is in the other room. If you wake her up, you'll wish you hadn't" Adriana demanded as she gave a stare to the doll sized dog man.

At this point, the man would abruptly shut up. He knew he was in a world of trouble, after spending about half an hour stuck in the cave that was her purse filled with the pungent aroma of cosmetics and trying to avoid the ever shifting walls as Adriana's massive hip would slam back and forth against the purse as she casually moved with him trapped inside. Still, he looked at the comparably massive pink room of a world around him, and realized the best thing the miniature person could do is not provoke the giant witch's ire any further.

As her naturally blue eyes would scan around the room, she thought of putting the man in a simple pickle jar and making tiny air holes to keep him alive. While the thought of playing mad scientist with him was very amusing, Adriana also realized that she was now forced to keep the tiny person alive if she wanted to continue to study the effects on the spell on him. The issue is Sabrina was sleeping in the kitchen and that's where the jars were stored. So, perhaps for now Adriana would just resort to threatening the tiny man as she would do research on her bed with the books. 

"If you try to flee, I'll crush you like a bug. Understand?" she demanded as she pointed her long red fingernail at his stomach.

"Y-yes ma'am" he nodded while quaking in his even tinier boots.

"Good, your use to me isn't worth as much as your cooperation" she sternly said, relishing in the fact she had power over someone else around for once.

"What's your name, squirt?"  she asked him.

"Thomas" he simply replied.

"Well Thomas, why did you join that gang  you were in? Might I ask?" 

"Shit's not really how like it is said in the army, we hear stories from off world. So, I ditched the Order and well.." Thomas said.

"So a coward who is thirsty is hanging out in an alleyway? How charming" Adriana retorted.

"Yeah.." he simply replied, not wanting to make her mad any further.

"Well Thomas, you just sit right there. Be a good little boy and I'll get you a snack later. I need to study your, condition if we will" she said as she chuckled.

"Right.." he simply replied in a depressive tone.

"Oh, and you can't use this book. So don't even try it, even I don't know all the secrets it holds" Adriana stated.

"After today, I'm questioning reality" Thomas stated.

"Good, that's one issue with this horridly ignorant city. But I digress, shut up and sit" Adriana stated after she went off into left field.

Adriana would take out her two books and put them on the bed as the miniaturized man did what he was told. First, she would be to open up the Old Spagonian book. The one that would help her decipher the dialect that was fount in Aurelia's. Perhaps, if she were the only one around with knowledge of such an archaic language it would give her a sort of extra-security measure with the book. 

Her eyes would scan the page and text, trying to filter out information not pertaining to what she was searching for. It seems Old Spagonia was once a wealthy and influential kingdom in the southern part of Central Eurish. However, from what she could gather it was once ravaged by a horrible cataclysm and then eventually splintered off into several fiefdoms and minor republics before reunifying in modern times. 

Adriana would move over several pages, until something caught her eye. There was a picture, crudely made by today's standards. But as she looked at the picture it sort of depicted the kingdom under attack by some sort of monster...

Upon looking closer at the picture, it looked startling. The monster was humanoid in shape, it looked almost feminine and with a dress on. Suddenly, the image in the book would begin to glow and it's very eyes would light up red in the page! This caused her to flinch and tense up as she  moved back from the book. Thomas was in confusion as to what was even going on.

"What is the matter, bambina? Are you afraid? That your destiny would be the same as mio own?" she heard in the back of her mind as suddenly she could feel the spirit begin to float around her.

"Si, DI Monstro of Spagonia was me. Your very own nonna." she heard as the haunting laughter of a wicked cackle would be heard in her mind.

"What do you want Aurelia? What does this all mean?!?" Adriana blurts out, awakening her pet on the other side of the door.

"Your destiny. Mio power can be all yours. You just have to have ambition to take it!" the spirit said as the rented book would begin to lift up and Adriana's eyes would glow bright green as if she were in a trance. 

"Fucking hell, what is this nightmare!?!" Thomas blurted out.

"If it is my destiny, than so be it" Adriana simply replied 

"Va Bene, so be it" the ghost said softly before their essence would disappear and suddenly the normal book would fall down and Adriana's hair and eyes would turn back to normal.

Adriana would begin to pant, her heart was racing as if she had a panic attack. As she would look down to her hand know, she would see a brand upon it. A glowing red star. Had she just agreed to some wicked pact? This was all too much for her, but everything else felt normal. 

"A brand, some sort of  mark?" Adriana muttered to herself as she moved her hand over to Thomas.

"Can you see it?" Adriana asked.

"I uh, don't see shit" Thomas stated.

"Quit messing with me, do you not see it glowing bright red star on my hand!?!" Adriana asked.

"No, I don't see anything! I'm sorry dame, I just see your normal hand!" Thomas said while chilling in fear that she would just crush him with her palm.

"This star...this mark, I can only see it" Adriana said as she looked at her hand and sighed trying to catch her breath.

"I must be delirious, anyways. Stay there" Adriana said as she pointed at the shivering tiny Thomas.

She would grab the history book and look at the page once more, as she skimmed over it the back of her hand would glow bright red. Eventually, she would reach the dialect section, and as she moved her hand closer to the words they would begin to glow red and translate from Old Spagonian to modern day Spagonian. This brand on her arm, it was able to alter the very words on the page to a dialect she could understand! 

"If the book is connected to me, connected to Aurelia too...then perhaps my destiny is to become this monster in this picture. Oh merda, what have I even gotten myself into?" she thought inside of her head.

Still, she would take a few more pages to read up on old Spagonian history. Not much pertained to the book, or Aurelia. Except, when she would turn to a page where she saw a picture of a witch trial, and surely enough there was a horrifying image of one of the seven witches being burnt. 

One of them, the fourth, was her grandmother. At this Adriana was about to vomit as the brand would glow bright red, so much she would suddenly just close the rented library book and toss it over as Thomas ducked and it fell onto the side of the mattress with a thump.

"This mark, this brand maybe all I need" she thought to herself as she reached in and grabbed Aurelia's book.

Opening the book, Adriana would begin to look at the pages. More of the words would become clearer to her as she skimmed her left hand over towards them with her finger and the red star brand on her hand would illuminate. She smirked as she remembered the spell she used Thomas. She wondered if she could make him so small he'd be reduced to nothing, but she didn't want to chance it. No, she needed to understand that one spell she looked up.

 "Fatorum Vices, that was the one" she said in her mind as she would turn to that page.

As she moved her finger over towards the text, the phrase would suddenly change into modern day Spagonian. It meant "Turns of Fate", and it was a bizarre spell. From what Adriana read, it would allow her to change the destiny of one individual for her own, not pertaining to Aurelia's book. It could change the good fortunes of others, and what Adriana hoped. She would want to change the powers of others. Still, she had to be in close proximity to her host to use it.

"Well now, it seems I have to get close to Grief" she muttered out loud.

"The Baron? You think he'd let you get near him with that stupid book?" Thomas asked.

"Silence! This book is more important than you'll ever know! It is a relic of our family!" Adriana said as she turned over and pointed her other finger at him.

"Right, I'll be quiet now" Thomas said as he clammed up once more.

The question now was how would Adriana get close to her brother and have the book in her hands to use the Turns of Fate? It's not like Grief understood magic, or would even give her the time of day otherwise? What if she thought, she could arrange a meeting and trick Grief into allowing her to demonstrate the spell? She would have a little window of opportunity before Grief would realize what would happen and she'd have to flee, but still it would be her only opportunity as the spell demanded she had to come into physical contact with her victim.

"Adriana! Open up! It's me, Alicia! We need you to open this door!" Adriana would hear outside.

Her heart began to race once more. She quickly would close Aurelia's book and begin to shove it under her bed. She then turned to Thomas and pointed for him to go and hide under her pillow. While he was hesitant at the start, he knew that it perhaps that she was the only person who would be able to turn him back to normal so he did a quick nod before the tiny thug would go and hide under her massive white pillow.

Adriana would quickly then try to casually approach the door before slowly opening it. Standing outside her apartment was the same ginger haired squirrel woman in the uniform with the long red hair, and some of the Civil Authorities policemen. Adriana counted that with Alicia they made up a full squad of five people. Too many for Adriana to use her mind control powers on, and without the book she couldn't cast any spells. It seems, she would have to resort to diplomacy.

"Greetings, Chief Alicia. How are you doing? Do you need something?" Adriana asked the police chief.

"Yes, we need to come inside. We have probable cause to believe you were involved in a series of two homicides this evening." 

At this, Adriana's blood went cold. It suddenly came to her realization of what she had done, she left evidence of the two killed thugs. She let her ego and anger get the better of her. Still, she had to play along. Perhaps, if she could explain the entire situation it would be better off. Adriana would open her door and motion for them to enter.

"Please, do enter. Just, be careful around Sabrina. She just woke up from her nap" Adriana stated.

"Thank you for your cooperation. Come in, men" Alicia said as she nodded and ordered her police forces to step in before she did.

Several of the officers stepped into the room followed by Alicia. Adriana opened the door fully but didn't lock it. As they would crowd around the Moebian squirrel she would give Adriana a stare, not a very good sign at all. 

"Okay, Bradanska. You have to come clean. What the hell did you do to those poor slobs in the alleyway this evening? Be honest with us, we know all about you so it will be best with your case if you come clean" Alicia stated to the vixen.

"I'll say, what happened. I acted in self-defense. I was ganged up by four of them and they  were trying to  um, well you know. I was cornered in the alleyway, I had no choice but to-"

"Bullshit!" Alicia yelled out.

"No choice, you graffitied the ground with their blood you maniac! Look, we can call it self-defense all day, but you didn't use any personal firearm. Just what the hell did you do to those two victims?" Alicia asked furiously.

In the back of Adriana's mind, she began to figure it out. They were not here because of the murders. If they were, they'd ask for her full testimony or at least take her in then and there. No, they wanted to know about the magic. How she did it, not why. Perhaps, as her thoughts raced in her mind. She could use this to her advantage.

"You'd not believe me if I told you" Adriana said as she shied away.

"Don't play games with me bitch, I can have your ass locked up in bars! Now tell me, what the hell did you do?" Alicia said.

"So, you want the truth? I used magic, there. I used magic to shrink the two thugs, crush them under my heels and then painted on the ground. I know, I sound insane. I probably am insane, but that's  not why you're here, is it?" Adriana said as she grinned.

"What are you hiding, Bradanska?" Allice asked as she narrowed her eyes.

"I'm not hiding anything, open your eyes Alicia. There's forces far beyond this mortal realm, I have something. Something that is very important to the Bradanska family. Something, that I demand to go and speak to my brother, the Baron of Moebius on my behalf!" she said as Adriana eye's would begin to glow bright green and her hair would begin of low once more as would her dress.

"You smug little, arm up" Alicia would reply before giving an order.

All four of Alicia's men would take out their Yogger laser pistols and begin to point at Adriana. Even Alicia would as well as she pointed right at Adriana's head. They didn't know how her eyes were glowing or why her hair was flailing but whatever it was, it wasn't good.

"Listen Alicia, I have a power you cannot believe. One, that I'm willing to share with my brother! Just think, what I have belongs to our family bloodline. It's of monumental importance to the Bradanska family and I could give it to the Baron!" 

"Hold on men" Alicia would say as she would order her men to not fire their weapons.

"I've seen this before...The last time this happened, the Tyrant King came to power. This power you say you have, I presume you already can control it?" Alicia asked.

"Yes, and I'm willing to share. But I want to speak to my brother about being pardoned" she stated as she began to levitate slightly off the ground.

"I am unable to sway his mind. I can however put in a report, you'll still have to come with us to the Central  Administration Building, but I can speak to Grief on my behalf. Just, tell us about this power". 

"It's a book, it's been handed down to our family from generations, the Book of Aurelia. I used the spells from the book to shrink those two thugs. However, Grief can't read it. Only I maybe able to decipher the text to him" Adriana replied.

Alicia had mixed feelings, on one hand she hated Adriana and her supernatural ways. This, combined with two murders today would be ample of evidence to toss her into prison, or perhaps an insane asylum. Then again, hadn't Alicia been in this same predicament? 

Suppose this power were real, suppose Adriana was telling the truth. If only Adriana could use this bizarre books power, would this have her end up like Scourge? Adriana was willing to come quietly, and even speak to the Baron on her behalf. Now granted, whether or not Grief would give Adriana the time of day was one thing.

Still, if there was some sort of power like the kind Scourge tapped into, it would mean that Adriana being cooperative could mean the Baron get this power and thus her a raise or a promotion. There was a war going on with the prime world, and if Adriana had any sort of power to help win the war, well that would mean a big fat reward for her. 

"Alright, Bradanska. You can take us to this book, but  no funny business" Alicia said as she ordered her men to give Adriana some room.

"Va bene" Adriana said as she would lower back to the floor and would return normal.

Now, Adriana had a choice. She could lead  Alicia into a trap in her room, if perhaps she were able to simply grab the book and cast a spell, they could all become her next tiny victims as well. No, that wouldn't do. Adriana needed to get to her brother, and the only way to get close to him was to play along. Besides, Sabrina was in the house and Adriana didn't for a second doubt Alicia would try to harm Sabrina were Adriana uncooperative. Besides, she had something to show them.

All of them entered the room, from the looks of things Sabrina was hiding in the bathroom, perhaps scared by all the intruders. Adriana was escorted in as she took a sigh before she walked over to her bed. At first they saw her satchel and the white history book.

"This isn't it, it's a history book. I don't want to lose my job over this, because if this book gets overdue I'll be in trouble" Adriana said.

"I'll see what I can do" Alicia replied.

"And this, is Thomas" she said as she walked over to pick up the pillow to reveal the miniaturized dog shivering in fear.

"I-is that the Comish? I-I ain't got nothing to do with this!" Thomas said yelling out as he saw a comparably giant sized Alicia among the giant soldiers and the giant sized Adriana.

"He's lying, he was with one of the men who jumped me. I don't care what you do to him, but I shrunk him with my magic. Now do you believe me?" Adriana said as she turned her eyes and motioned to Alicia.

"I guess you're not so crazy after all, well at least you were able to do that to him. One of you take him in for questioning" Alicia commanded as one of the four officers in the room nodded and went over to pick up the miniaturized thug who was shivering like a coward.

"Wait, ain't I got like rights or something?" Thomas asked.

"Get him out of here" Alicia stated as she motioned for the officer to drag the tiny thug out.

"That was only a taste of what the book is capable of. Just imagine if the Order could mass-produce a weapon like that. We'd be unstoppable" Adriana said as she fibbed through her teeth.

"Yeah, now where is this book?" Alicia asked.

"Under my bed, once more you cannot use it without me" Adrian stated as she leaned over and took it out.

It look like a simple and brown old book, the kind you'd find in the non-fiction section of your local library. While it looked in mint condition, Alicia was incredulous on this old tome being the method the witch had used to shrink Thomas and the other two victims. Still, the mere fact she was just moments ago talking to a doll sized man put her doubts at bay, for the time being.

"Alright Bradanska, hand it over" Alicia demanded.

"Wait, I told you only I can use it!" Adriana said.

"Don't make this hard on us, you agreed to come with us if we have you a chance to talk to the Baron" Alicia demanded.

"Alright, but if it curses you. Don't say I didn't warn you" Adriana said as she held out the book.

"Curses, right" Alicia said as she took it.

"Now, please just one more thing. I need to tell Sabrina goodbye. Please, she is the only thing good I have in this miserable life left" Adriana said as she started to tear up.

"Ugh, cut the water works. Go find this, Sabrina" Alicia said, rolling her eyes she was even doing this.

"Sabrina come here" Adriana said as she called into the bathroom.

"Chao?" Sabrina said as the chao would timidly 

"I'm going to be gone a while Sabrina, please. Go with the good men and do what they say" Adriana said as she was crying.

"Chao.." Sabrina said as she lowered her wings.

"I'm sorry, mommy is going to be gone for a while" Adriana said as she hugged her pet chao.

Adriana would collapse on the ground as she would begin to hug and cuddle her pet chaos while in tear. While Sabrina didn't understand much of her mistresses words, she could feel her emotion as the both of them would begin to cry and tear up. Alicia would just turn away, even for her this was hard to see. 

Being escorted out of her apartment, Adriana would come quietly in handcuffs as Alicia would call in a Raven Gunship via commlink, it was one of the older models used in the First Great Dimensional War. One that was refitted for police and crowd control operations. As the Raven would slowly begin to hover in sight and land in the streets, Adriana was escorted down the steps as it would begin to land and hover a few centimeters off the ground.

One of the officers would open the side hatch for her as she would crouch and get in. This was followed by Alicia's officers, yet the redheaded squirrel would stay behind to write a report. As the hatches would close and Adriana was ordered to put on her seatbelt. All she could do was look at her apartment and wonder if Alicia would make good on her promise to keep Sabrina safe. 

The hover craft would begin to lift up, Adriana hated flying in these things. Yet, at this moment all she could think of is sadness and hatred. Adriana couldn't help Sabrina here, she had to make her next moves more carefully. As she looked out the side hatch and they all began to elevate and lift off into the sky. She could see the city for the bleak and depressing metropolis for what it was. It horrified Adriana that Sabrina would be left in this cold and uncaring world. 

As the Raven would reach flight altitude, it would begin to fly towards the massive monolithic building in the center of Siag. It was heading straight for the Central Administration Building, and towards her Brother's citadel of power. It was time for Adriana to face her  younger brother.